ONLINE ADVERTISING WITH INTEGRATED INTERFACES
Various techniques for online advertising with integrated interfaces is disclosed herein. For example, a method can include detecting one or more display characteristics of an interface of a host application, generating an interface object for an advertisement item based on at least one of the detected display characteristics, and outputting the generated interface object as a portion of the interface of the host application.
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This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/416,303, filed Mar. 9, 2012.
BACKGROUNDOnline advertising delivers marketing content to audiences via computer networks such as the Internet. For instance, web pages displaying search engine results may include banner and/or text advertisements for products or services. When users click on the displayed advertisements, the users may be redirected to third-party web pages based on web addresses embedded in the displayed advertisements.
SUMMARYThis Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present technology is directed to online advertising with integrated interfaces. In one aspect, the present technology includes detecting one or more display characteristics of an interface of a host application and generating interface objects for advertising items as an integral portion of the interface of the host application. As a result, the interface objects may have the same or a similar look and feel as the host application. In another aspect, the present technology is also directed to monitoring a change in at least one display characteristic of the host application. If a change is detected, the present technology includes adapting or adjusting the interface objects based on the detected change to maintain the same or similar look and feel as the host application.
In further aspects, the interface objects for advertising content can also enable users to obtain additional information for or even purchase advertised items within the host application. For instance, if a first input (e.g., cursor hovering) to an interface object is detected, an image, a supplier, and/or other information of the advertised item may be presented in the interface object. In another example, if a second input (e.g., a single click or touch) with respect to the interface object is detected, a new window may be displayed within the host application adjacent to the interface object. The window may include a title, a description, a price, a promotion, a link to a supplier's website, and/or other suitable additional information for the advertised item. In yet another example, the window may contain one or more fields for collecting payment, shipping, and/or other suitable information to facilitate a purchase of the advertised item.
Various embodiments of systems, devices, components, modules, routines, and processes for online advertising with integrated interfaces are described below. In the following description, example software codes, values, and other specific details are included to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the present technology. A person skilled in the relevant art will also understand that the technology may have additional embodiments. The technology may also be practiced without several of the details of the embodiments described below with reference to
As used herein, the term “interface object” generally refers to a graphical, textual, and/or other suitable types of representation of information on a user interface. For example, an interface object can include a graphical object having a background with a shape (e.g., rectangular), a color (e.g., gray) and a foreground having at least one of text, image, video, or other suitable types of content. The term “look and feel” generally refers to display characteristics of a user interface. The display characteristics can include at least one of a color, a shape, a layout, a typeface, and/or other design aspects (collectively referred to as “look”), as well as behaviors of at least one of a button, a box, a menu, and/or other functional elements (collectively referred to as “feel”).
Conventional advertising techniques may be ineffective because users tend to ignore the displayed advertisements. Users may also hesitate to click on the displayed advertisements for not knowing where the embedded web addresses may lead. Several embodiments of the present technology are directed to online advertising with integrated interfaces to improve user experiences. For example, in certain embodiments, interface objects containing advertising content can be configured to have the same or similar look and feel as a host application. As a result, the advertised content may be aesthetically more pleasant to use and thus less disruptive to user experiences than conventional online advertisements. It may also be easier for the advertised content to obtain information from users, and thus more in context with other information provided in the host application. In other embodiments, the interface objects can also provide different levels of preview of advertised content. As such, users may have more confidence that clicking through links associated with the advertised content has less risk of phishing, attacks, and/or other adverse consequences.
In the illustrated embodiment, the server 102 can be configured to provide product/service information 104, an email (not shown), and/or other suitable information to the client device 110. Even though the server 102 is illustrated in
As shown in
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In certain embodiments, the client device 110 can include a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, and/or other suitable types of computing device. As shown in
The client processor 111 can include a microprocessor, a field-programmable gate array, and/or other suitable logic devices configured to execute instructions of a host application 113. The host application 113 can include a client-based computer application (e.g., Microsoft Outlook®), a web-based computer application (e.g., Google Gmail®), and/or other suitable types of computer applications. The network interface 112 can include a network adapter, a wireless network interface controller, and/or other suitable hardware/software configured to connect the client device 110 to the server 102 via the network 108 or other suitable networks. The user interface 116 can include a display, a touch screen, a keyboard, a track ball, and/or other suitable types of input/output component configured to accept input from and/or provide output to a user. Example rendering of the host application on the user interface 116 are described later with reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, the host application 113 includes an advertising component 106. In other embodiments, the advertising component 106 may be embedded in the product/service information 104, executed by the processor 120 of the server 102, and/or provided in other suitable manners. The information component 106 can be configured to generate interface objects of advertising content and/or other content based on at least one of display characteristics of the host application 113. As such, the generated interface objects can have the same or similar look and feel as the host application 113. In other embodiments, the information component 106 can also be configured to provide additional information of advertised items in the host application 113 in response to user input. In further embodiments, the information component 106 can be configured to facilitate purchase of advertised items in the host application 113. Various embodiments and operations of the information component 106 are described in more detail below with reference to
As shown in
In one embodiment, the detection module 128a is configured to detect at least one display characteristic of an interface of the host application 113. For example, the detection module 128a may obtain and analyze a style sheet (e.g., a web style sheet) of the host application 113 (e.g., a web browser) as input data 126. The style sheet may indicate at least one of a font, a color, a size, a layout, an interactive behavior, a language setting, and/or other suitable display characteristics of the interface of the host application 113. In other examples, the detection module 128a may detect the at least one display characteristic based on user input, application design, and/or other suitable techniques. The process module 128b may be configured to analyze the detected at least one display characteristic and generate or update the interface objects for advertised items based on the at least one display characteristic. In one example, the process module 128b can generate the interface objects based on interface templates (not shown) residing on the server 102, the optional server 102′, the client device 110, or other suitable locations. The interface template can include at least one of a background, a title field, a price field, or an information source field, at least one of which has the same or similar display characteristics of the host application 113. In other examples, the process module 128b can generate the interface objects in other suitable manners. The output module 128d is configured to display the generated interface objects via the user interface 116.
Referring to both
In the illustrated embodiment, the detection module 128a of the information component 106 can detect at least one display characteristic of the interface of the host application 113. The process module 128b can then generate interface objects for individual advertised items contained in the product/service information 104 based on the detected at least one display characteristic. The process module 128b can also generate interface objects for non-advertising items (e.g., weather, poll, traffic, etc.) based on the detected at least one display characteristic. The output module 128d can then output the generated interface objects of the advertisement items to the user interface 116 as an integral portion of the interface of the host application 113 with the same or generally similar look and feel.
In another embodiment, instructions for the information component 106 may be embedded in the product/service information 104. Upon receiving the product/service information 104, the client processor 111 can then execute the instructions for the information component 106 to perform the foregoing operations. In yet another embodiment, the server 102 may be aware of the at least one display characteristic of the host application 113, for example, by receiving a prior or contemporaneous submission from the host application 113, or by executing instructions for the host application 113 as a web-based application. In response to the request for the advertising information, the processor 120 of the server 102 can execute instructions for the information component 106 and transmit the generated interface objects to the client device 110.
In certain embodiments, the detection module 128a can monitor for a change in the at least one of the display characteristics of the interface of the host application 113. For example, the interface of the host application 113 may have a new font, color, layout, interactive behavior, or language setting. In response, the process module 128b can adapt, adjust, or modify at least one of the generated interface objects based on the detected change. In another example, the detection module 128a may detect a size change (e.g., shrinking) in the interface of the host application 113. In response, the process module 128b can resize (e.g., reduce a size of) the generated interface objects based on the detected size change in the interface of the host application 113.
In further embodiments, the detection module 128a can monitor and collect certain input from a user as the input data 126. For example, the detection module 128a may monitor for a cursor hovering, a click, a tap, a touch, and/or other suitable user input to the displayed interface objects. In one embodiment, the process module 128b may analyze the collected user input and instruct the network module 128c and/or the output module 128d to perform other suitable operations based on the user input. For example, in one embodiment, the detection module 128a can detect a first input (e.g., a hovering of a cursor) with respect to one of the displayed interface objects. In response, the process module 128b identifies the first input and instructs the network module 128c to retrieve certain product/service information 104 (e.g., an image) from the server 102, the optional server 102′, and/or other suitable sources (not shown) via the network 108. The process module 128b can then instruct the output module 128d to output the retrieved additional information 104 in the interface object and/or other suitable locations in the host application 113.
In another embodiment, the detection module 128a can detect a second input (e.g., a single click) to one of the displayed interface objects. In response, the process module 128b identifies the second input and instructs the network module 128c to retrieve additional product/service information 104 (e.g., prices, images, videos, maps, etc.) from the server 102, the optional server 102′, and/or other suitable sources (not shown) via the network 108. The process module 128b can then instruct the output module 128d to output the retrieved additional information 104 in a window and/or other suitable locations in the host application 113.
In further embodiments, the detection module 128a can detect a user input to one of the interface objects not directed to advertising items. For example, the detection module 128a may detect a user's selection in response to a poll, a user's location selection for weather or traffic, and/or other suitable user input. In response, the process module 128b can analyze the detected user input and instruct the network module 128c to retrieve additional product/service information 104 based thereon. The process module 128b can then generate additional interface objects for the additional product/service information 104 and instruct the output module 128d to output the generated additional interface objects.
Several embodiments of the present technology can improve effectiveness of online advertising. It is believed that presenting the product/service information 104 in interface objects that have the same or similar look and feel as the host application can at least reduce the risk of users ignoring the product/service information 104. By providing various additional information for the advertised items within the host application 113, users can have more confidence on redirection from the host application 113 than conventional techniques.
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If interface objects are to be generated, the process 200 includes generating and/or updating interface objects at stage 204. In one embodiment, the interface objects may be generated based on a single interface template. In another embodiment, the interface objects may be generated based on multiple interface templates. As a result, at least two of the interface objects can differ from each other in at least one of content, font, color, size, layout, interactive behavior, language setting, and/or other suitable display characteristics. In further embodiments, the interface objects may be generated without using interface templates and/or using other suitable techniques. The process 200 can then include outputting the generated interface objects at stage 206. The process 200 then proceeds to stage 208 to determine if the process continues. In one embodiment, if the host application 113 (
If the detected input is not a first input, the process 300 proceeds to a decision stage 310 to determine if a second input is detected. The second input is different than the first input. The second input can be a single click, a double click, and/or other suitable input. If the detected input is a second input, the process 300 proceeds to retrieving additional information of the product or service associated with the displayed interface object at stage 312. The additional information may be retrieved from an advertising server, a merchant's website, and/or other suitable sources. The retrieved additional information includes at least one of a title, a description, a price, a promotion, or a link to the merchant's website.
The retrieved additional information may then be displayed at stage 314, for example, in a window in the host application 113 (
If the detected input is neither the first input nor the second input, the process 300 then proceeds to stage 316 to determine if the process continues. In one embodiment, if the host application 113 (
Even though the process 300 is described above as having first and second input, in other embodiments, the process 300 may include third, fourth, or any other suitable number of input. In further embodiments, certain operations of the process 300 may be omitted. For example, in one embodiment, the decision stage 304 may be omitted, and the process 300 can include periodically retrieving the information of the advertised item at stage 306 and updating the interface object with the retrieved information at stage 308. In other embodiments, other operations of the process 300 may be omitted.
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The second sidebar 160 includes a plurality of interface objects 162 (individually identified as first, second, third, and fourth interface object 162a-162d, respectively). As shown in
The interface objects 162 can differ in at least one of content, font, color, size, layout, interactive behavior, language setting, or other display characteristics. For example, as shown in
The interface objects 162 can also include be updated when a user interacts with the interface objects 162. For example, as shown in
As shown in
Specific embodiments of the technology have been described above for purposes of illustration. However, various modifications may be made without deviating from the foregoing disclosure. In addition, many of the elements of one embodiment may be combined with other embodiments in addition to or in lieu of the elements of the other embodiments. Accordingly, the technology is not limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method of online advertising performed by a processor, the method comprising:
- detecting one or more display characteristics of an interface of a host application;
- generating an interface object for an advertisement item based on at least one of the detected one or more display characteristics; and
- outputting the generated interface object for the advertisement item as a portion of the interface of the host application.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more display characteristics include at least one of a font, a color, a size, a layout, an interactive behavior, or a language setting of the interface of the host application.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the interface object includes generating the interface object for the advertisement item based on the detected one or more display characteristics and an interface template containing at least one of a title field, a price field, or an information source field.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein:
- generating the interface object includes generating the interface object for the advertisement item based on the detected one or more display characteristics and an interface template containing at least one of a title field, a price field, or an information source field; and
- at least one of the title field, the price field, or the information source field has at least one of a font, a color, a size, a layout, an interactive behavior, or a language setting that is generally similar to that of the interface of the host application.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein:
- generating the interface object includes generating the interface object for the advertisement item based on the detected one or more display characteristics and an interface template having a background and at least one of a title field, a price field, or an information source field over the background; and
- at least one of the background, the title field, the price field, or the information source field has at least one of a font, a color, a size, a layout, an interactive behavior, or a language setting that is generally similar to that of the interface of the host application.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- monitoring for a change in at least one of the display characteristics of the interface of the host application; and
- if a change is detected, adapting the generated interface object based on the detected change in at least one of the display characteristics of the interface of the host application.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- monitoring for a change in a size of the interface of the host application; and
- if a change is detected, resizing the generated interface object based on the detected change in the size of the interface of the host application.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- monitoring for a change in a size of the interface of the host application; and
- if a change is detected, resizing the generated interface object based on the detected change in the size of the interface of the host application.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- monitoring one or more input from a user to the host application; and
- updating the generated interface object with a new advertisement item based on the monitored one or more input from the user.
10. A method of supplying product and/or service information performed by a processor, the method comprising:
- generating first and second interface objects based on one or more display characteristics of an interface of a host application, the first interface object differs from the second interface object in at least one of content, font, color, size, layout, interactive behavior, or language setting; and
- outputting the generated first and second interface objects as an integral portion of the interface of the host application, the first and second interface objects having a generally similar look and feel as the interface of the host application.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first interface object contains advertising content, and wherein the second interface content contains non-advertising content.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the advertising content includes an advertising item, and the method further includes:
- monitoring for a first input to the first interface object;
- if a first input is detected, retrieving information of an advertised item; and updating the first interface object with the retrieved information.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein the advertising content includes an advertising item, and the method further includes:
- periodically retrieving information of the advertised item; and
- updating the first interface object with the retrieved information.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein the advertising content includes an advertising item, and the method further includes:
- monitoring for a first input to the first interface object;
- if a first input is detected, retrieving information of the advertised item; updating the first interface object with the retrieved information;
- monitoring for a second input to the first interface object, the second input being different than the first input;
- if a second input is detected, retrieving additional information of the advertised item; and displaying the retrieved additional information of the advertised item in the interface of the host application.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein:
- monitoring for the first input includes monitoring for a hovering of a cursor over the first interface object; and
- monitoring for the second input includes monitoring for a single click to the first interface object.
16. The method of claim 14 wherein:
- the additional information includes at least one field for collecting order, payment, or shipping information; and
- the method further includes facilitating completion of order for the advertised item without exiting from the host application.
17. The method of claim 14 wherein:
- the retrieved information includes at least one of an image of the advertised item or a supplier the advertised item; and
- the retrieved additional information includes at least one of a title, a description, a price, a promotion, or a link to the merchant's website.
18. A computer system for online advertising, the computer system having a processor operatively coupled to a memory and a display, the memory containing instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform a process comprising:
- detecting one or more display characteristics of an interface of a host application;
- generating a plurality of interface objects based on one or more of the detected display characteristics of the interface of the host application and an interface template, the interface template having a background and at least one of a title field, a price field, or a source field over the background, at least one of the background, the title field, the price field, or the source field has at least one of a font, a color, a size, a layout, an interactive behavior, or a language setting generally similar to that of the interface of the host application; and
- outputting the plurality of generated interface objects to the display as a sidebar in the interface of the host application.
19. The computer system of claim 18 wherein at least two of the interface objects differ in at least one of content, font, color, size, layout, interactive behavior, or language setting.
20. The computer system of claim 18 wherein:
- at least one of the interface objects contains advertising content of an advertised item;
- the processor further includes: monitoring for a hovering of a cursor over the at least one of the interface objects; if a hovering is detected, retrieving information of the advertised item, the retrieved information including at least one of an image of a advertised item or a supplier of the advertised item; updating the first interface object with the retrieved information; monitoring for a click to the at least one of the interface objects; if a click is detected, retrieving additional information of the advertised item, the retrieved additional information including at least one of a title, a description, a price, a promotion, or a link to the merchant's website; and displaying the retrieved additional information of the advertised item in the interface of the host application.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 7, 2013
Publication Date: Sep 11, 2014
Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION (Redmond, WA)
Inventors: Sal Celis (Seattle, WA), Ian Ferreira (Issaquah, WA), Kris Shankar (Redmond, WA), Harpal Bassali (Kirkland, WA), Mark Ehrhardt (Seattle, WA), Stanislav Bounev (Seattle, WA), Stephen Giff (Bellevue, WA)
Application Number: 13/788,967
International Classification: G06Q 30/02 (20060101);